I consider a dive light to be a mandatory
piece of gear on every dive. We use them in a variety of ways
which make diving easier, safer, and more fun.

The most common use is to actually see
all those red colors you miss without one. Light falls off rapidly
with depth and the more interesting critters hide in dark corners
under rocks during the day; no light, no see. This is why one
sees divers upside down with their head under a rock like some
underwater ostrich.

Pointing out stuff you find underwater
is easy when you have a light. We signal something interesting
by rapidly waving the light back and forth over the object. Not
only does everyone see more, but you can look really cool to your
snorkeling friends. I've always wondered if a laser pointer might
be useful for this, but have never tried one which was waterproof.
One obviously needs a light for night diving. Lights for this
purpose need to be more powerful and have a wider beam.

There are lots of good lights out there
from which to choose. As with many things in diving, personal
preference counts for a lot. I'll tell you what's working for
us, and what didn't. However, it's not the only way, and maybe
not even the best way to choose.

We each have 2 dive lights. A "pocket
light" which goes on every dive, and a primary light which
comes along as needed. We also have battery powered marker lights
which come along on night dives.

Our pocket lights are all Underwater
Kinetics SL-4's. It's a nice compromise between, size, intensity,
and battery life. The beam width is adequate for peering into
crevices and under rocks. They are also very handy around the
house. It's an easy fit in most BC pockets, and my Ranger seems
to have one pocket that's custom made for it. SL-4's are frequently
seen in OE's SCUBA sales too.

On the down side, it is a little bit
too large around for easy holding. I frequently find that holding
it at the end is much more comfortable than grabbing it around
the middle.

Keeping with our standardization, all
our primary lights are UK-400's. They are relatively inexpensive,
have enough light, and the batteries last for 3 or 4 dives. We
installed a snap on the handle so we can attach them to our BC's.
Giant stride entries are much easier without having this large
flashlight bashing you in the face.

The problem with the UK-400 is that the
amount of light is produces is adequate, but not great. I'm very
accustomed to working in the dark so this doesn't really bother
me.

One possible solution is to put the bulb
from the UK-400R into the UK-400. Battery life would be shortened
considerably. However, if you get rechargeable alkaline batteries,
you should have a very robust light for substantially less than
UK charges for their rechargeable. I haven't tried this, but I
may give it a go if I start doing more night diving.

Pelican, and UK have new, more compact
lights which are brighter than the UK-400, and have the characteristics
of good primary lights. If I were buying now, I'd take a very
close look at these lights. The battery life is short, but long
enough for a couple of dives. Since I almost always make sure
there are fresh batteries in my primary light, this is not a big
deal. They are also compact enough to be good day, and night lights.
If I were starting over, I'd take a good, close look at these
compact, pistol grip lights.

One light to avoid is the UK SL-6. This
is a stretched SL-4. It's too long for a BC pocket, awkward for
day use, and the beam is too tight for night use. We have one
which now rides in the truck. It works OK there.

A while back, we picked up a pair of
red, battery powered marker lights for night diving. These are
powered by a pair of AAA batteries. They come with a white bulb,
a red bulb, a diffuser, and a standard lens. They work amazingly
well in all configurations. The red light and regular lens are
particularly useful for situations where you need your night vision
left intact. Astronomer that I am, it's now my favorite chart
light for stargazing.

That's how we set ourselves up here,
but don't take our choices as gospel. Analyze your diving, read
the reviews, and make the choice which suits your diving. Dave Ambrose